What Do You Think of the New Boss Katana Amps?

I've played a cube all over for the last year and been happy, so I've been eyeing the Katana too! I just recently got a Fender Blues Deluxe recently, and honestly I like the cube just as well. I've even played it in Nashville without so much as a sideways glance from the other players.

I don't own a PC but love the Katana straight out of the box. Of course I've been playing it a lot and the speaker is breaking in nicely...only using 2 channels but that's me. Got pedals and have very simple needs.

Finally got to play one today, I played the 50. Was hoping given the rave reviews and the demos I would like it, but I didn't. It suffered from the same problems most modeling amps do, its very thin and tinny sounding. Zero warmth. makes my Marshall Code sound like a tube amp. Crunch was decent but lead and brown were terrible sounding IMO. I don't like that shrill, trebly, chainsaw kinda distortion. I've always thought Boss distortion/OD pedals lacked any type of bottom end, so I shouldn't be surprised their amp does too. Not for me but I can see where others might like it.

Traded a Marshall DSL5c for a Katana 100 recently as was looking a great clean sound. Only for home use but the 0.5 Watt setting for Clean is pretty quiet if you have the Gain rolled right back for the purest tone. However when set to 100 Watt and with Gain at 0 and Volume and Master rolled back to 1-2 you get absolutely masses of clean headroom if needed and a neat Clean with no distortion. Really impressed with the workmanship of this amp with all the controls as solid and precise as on a German limo. The ability to down load the Boss pedal range is a big plus. I've bought a lot of Roland/Boss gear over the years, including keyboards, and have never had a problem with build quality and this was a big factor in me changing amp brands. I was as sceptical as most when considering an SS. I had been tempted by a Blues Cube but when I investigated the Katana the price made it a no brainer. Once I tried one out I was sold. No one should be too concerned re a 100 Watt in the home - there is plenty of control to bring the volume levels down to very acceptable levels - although the Brown channel is a bit like a hungry dog on a leash.

MDF? So I looked it up and read about it and learned something today. That you.
I read a bit about the benefits of MDF , no one mentioned it's acoustic qualities.

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Personally I prefer wood cabs because they're usually lighter than MDF given the same thickness. MDF is much cheaper and easier to fabricate in mass production so it often ends up in the more budget priced models. Wood is more porous whereas MDF is more dense so acoustically I would see MDF as being more reflective than wood. I have amps and cabs with both and I can't really say that MDF is a poor acoustic material.

Personally I prefer wood cabs because they're usually lighter than MDF given the same thickness. MDF is much cheaper and easier to fabricate in mass production so it often ends up in the more budget priced models. Wood is more porous whereas MDF is more dense so acoustically I would see MDF as being more reflective than wood. I have amps and cabs with both and I can't really say that MDF is a poor acoustic material.

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I am endlessly curious. thank for your time and sharing.
I remember reading "pine and finger lock cabinets ". the there was the birch plywood, waterproof or not? thicker for high gain thinner for resonance. open back closed back, semi-closed back.
There are so many things to trip on regarding guitars and amps, ain't it cool.

I am endlessly curious. thank for your time and sharing.
I remember reading "pine and finger lock cabinets ". the there was the birch plywood, waterproof or not? thicker for high gain thinner for resonance. open back closed back, semi-closed back.
There are so many things to trip on regarding guitars and amps, ain't it cool.

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All very true and in some cases we have a choice as far as the cabs we use, their material, and the speakers used which is why I tend to prefer a separate amp head and cab combination to combos where I may be able to change the speaker(s) more of my liking but I'm stuck with the material the manufacturer chose.

It all makes a difference but for many it's just a matter of personal needs and taste. A bigger cab and more speakers equals more volume and fullness when you need it but the penalty is greater weight and a much larger foot print on a tight stage. Open back, closed back, vented all have different characteristics and match some amps better than others. So as always the bottom line is play what you prefer and whatever works best for your needs.

I finally played trough one.
They sound great, but they don't have a tuner or looper.
Guess I'll keep my Cubes.

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Yep, completely different approach with these Bill. Even though Cubes have proven to be terrific gigging amps for decades I have a feeling many never saw them as much more than home or rehearsal amps because of their compact size and appearance. It seems to me BOSS set out to woo more players to the Katana as a gigging amp that looks and behaves more like one sans some of features that made Cubes as popular as they eventually became.

Yep, completely different approach with these Bill. Even though Cubes have proven to be terrific gigging amps for decades I have a feeling many never saw them as much more than home or rehearsal amps because of their compact size and appearance. It seems to me BOSS set out to woo more players to the Katana as a gigging amp that looks and behaves more like one sans some of features that made Cubes as popular as they eventually became.

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True, I get it.
I just like the "one stop shopping" aspect of my Cubes.
It's nice to bring just an amp, cord and guitar to a gig.
It ain't that I'm lazy, either.
I still occasionally hanker for a more traditional, analog or tube amp.
The new Roland amps of all types, JCs, Cubes, and Katanas all deliver the goods.

True, I get it.
I just like the "one stop shopping" aspect of my Cubes.
It's nice to bring just an amp, cord and guitar to a gig.
It ain't that I'm lazy, either.
I still occasionally hanker for a more traditional, analog or tube amp.
The new Roland amps of all types, JCs, Cubes, and Katanas all deliver the goods.

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They could easily have put a tuner in there but I guess they wanted to get as far away from the Cube as possible with these. Fortunately there are still plenty of those left used or NOS and I think there always will be. Roland amps strike me as being immortal. LOL

I really don't get it, but i felt the same way. Now and then you see a feeding frenzy on a certain amp or pedal etc, and you figure with all that it MUST be good even if it turns out not to be your cup of tea. But this i can't understand for the life of me because i felt it was exactly how you felt plus it felt nothing like a tube amp. Felt digital to me. I know people say the speaker breaks in, but i've owned god knows how many new amps and speakers and i have yet to hear a difference between the sound when new and when broken in that was anywhere near enough of a difference to fix the Kantana's issues. I literally had the treble and mids all the way down to make it usable and even then i wanted less highs. I tried all the different amp tones and tried tweaking them and couldn't find anything usable. I'm truly stumped.

Finally got to play one today, I played the 50. Was hoping given the rave reviews and the demos I would like it, but I didn't. It suffered from the same problems most modeling amps do, its very thin and tinny sounding. Zero warmth. makes my Marshall Code sound like a tube amp. Crunch was decent but lead and brown were terrible sounding IMO. I don't like that shrill, trebly, chainsaw kinda distortion. I've always thought Boss distortion/OD pedals lacked any type of bottom end, so I shouldn't be surprised their amp does too. Not for me but I can see where others might like it.

I'm planning on getting the 100w head in another month or so after I return from and extended vacation and will play it though the two 1x12 V30 cabs I have so speaker break in won't be an issue for me. But based on comments from many users the difference can be significant once a Katana speaker is broken in. Some of the harshness experienced in some settings disappears and the tonality smooths out considerably. I might also add the 100w version has a better and more robust speaker that definitely requires some time to loosen up so a 15 minute spin at GC won't really do justice to an evaluation of it or the 50w version. They need to be played in.

Having owned and played both an original Blues Cube 60 and a digital modeling Roland Cube I can attest to there being a major difference in how the two respond to guitar volume and pick attack. The only setting on the Cube that even came close to the same dynamics of the Tube Logic design of my BC 60 is the Dyna Amp setting. The other models lacked any touch sensitivity or "feel" under the fingers at all but the amp was still very capable of producing some decent facsimiles of an assortment of amp models. In the end I used it primarily for my acoustic because it couldn't really compete with the BC 60.

I sold the Cube a while ago and the Katana will be it's replacement especially when I need and amp head that can double as an acoustic amp. Not many inexpensive amps can pull that off.

I agree that not everyone will find the Katana fits them but it does do what it claims as far as tonality and responsiveness. It does have that tube amp like "feel" similar to that of a Blues Cube. I don't feel BOSS is making unsupported claims for it and while it will still lack some of the harmonics top end boutique tube amps present IMHO there is nothing else in it's price range, with it's features, that can match it and that also adds to it's utility and popularity. Then there's the weight factor. Many of us are getting to the point where hauling around heavier tube amps it getting to be a chore so a true 100w 1x12 combo that weight about 30lbs or a 2x12 that goes about 40lbs is an attractive alternative if it cuts it as a gigging amp.

For some no SS amp will ever be good enough to replace their tube amps but companies like Roland/BOSS are providing some very good alternatives that can get you as close as anyone has come yet. When I read 7000 plus posts from users who are finding how well the Katana works for them and how the more tech oriented of us are discovering even more hidden options within the amp I realize they can't all be wrong and this is not just the latest fad amp. Guys are spending $200-$300 and coming home with a very practical gigging and recording amp.

Ive used my Katana on 3 gigs now, since I brought it a couble of months ago

I really think that its a good sounding amp, for all around gigging

First gig and clip here, no mike

Second clip there is a mike on it

I would not hesitate to recommend it, as a good sounding, lightweight gigging amp, with lots of power, as in LOTS of power and clean headroom, and I really like the way the amp sounds and respons to my playing, and picking attack

I have a Cube 60, great amp in its own right, but in my opinion, the Katana 100 112, is a better sounding amp

I really don't get it, but i felt the same way. Now and then you see a feeding frenzy on a certain amp or pedal etc, and you figure with all that it MUST be good even if it turns out not to be your cup of tea. But this i can't understand for the life of me because i felt it was exactly how you felt plus it felt nothing like a tube amp. Felt digital to me. I know people say the speaker breaks in, but i've owned god knows how many new amps and speakers and i have yet to hear a difference between the sound when new and when broken in that was anywhere near enough of a difference to fix the Kantana's issues. I literally had the treble and mids all the way down to make it usable and even then i wanted less highs. I tried all the different amp tones and tried tweaking them and couldn't find anything usable. I'm truly stumped.

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Have yet to try a Katana but I do have a Blues Cube Hot. Super amp: but better than a Transtube Peavey Bandit? Not really, imo. P'raps thats why Peavey hoisted the price of the Bandit? I am cynical but I suspect the X/XL/GXCube series has been discontinued because there is not enough profit in it at the given price point. The Katana fans may well believe this range is the best thing since sliced bread: sadly that usually goes stale after a few days, and methinks the Katana may lose some lustre when the Fender Mustang GT arrives - and then someone will leapfrog the lot!